The Etherworld Giant

Broken Trust

"We will have our vengance," the men declared. "We will repay the years of cruelty forced upon us. And now we ask again, will you lead us?"

       James the Giant stood at the head of a small army arrayed on the crest of a hill. Below them was a small walled city, still in the act of readying their insufficient defenses. He had faced battle before, and had even led an assualt against a city, but now he felt fear and doubt. But it was not the battle that would soon be that frightened him; it was the men who would have him to lead them. Their faces were strong and fierce, with a consuming hatred that permeated their being. But they had not always been that way.

     Only months before, these men were in bondage, being subject to harsh work loads and little to live off of. For three generations had they been required to give tribute of half their grain and animals to another land, or forfiet their lives. When they would rise in rebellion to try and cast off their oppressors, there was never a gain to outweigh the loss, and their hopes for freedom became smothered by fear.

     But when rumor reached their ears of a giant in a nearby land, who had defied a king, they knew they had to find and recruit him, no matter the cost. When two months later the men who were sent finally saw the Giant, they were struck with a mix of fear and awe. He was nearly twice the height of a man, with a lean, yet strong build. This they had expected. But what they had not forseen were his other characteristics. First was that he looked too young to have done what the rumors claimed, being in appearance about twenty-five. Second was his hair was as bright as a burning fire, a truly unsettling feature. And third was that his skin was covered in small brown spots. Truly he was the most strange person they had ever laid eyes on. They were about to decide to turn back when they caught his gaze. His calming light-blue eyes and friendly smile disipated their worries, and they felt immediately that they could trust him. They humbly laid their request before him, telling him of their plight. When at last they came to the offer of riches and glory, he immediately declined, saying, "I will do it for the sake of your freedom. You need not pay me." He and a few trusted men left with them the next day.

       In the months that followed, the change that took place among the people was remarkable. Within weeks of his arrival, a small army had been assembled, followed swiftly by their first victory. A formidable blow had been dealt to the oppressor's grip upon them, and hope quickly sparked again in the hearts of the people. Subsequently, a fear and awe of the Giant also spread through the land, with rumors from both friend and foe spreading like wildfire. In the second month, the greatest city in the fruitful plains had been released in exchange for captured soldiers. And by the third month almost all of their land had been reclaimed, and in the fourth month a secure border had been set. Despite the losses that are always found in war, celebrations were held, though scant, and the people rejoiced in their freedom again.

     But things had began and ended so fast that their newly reorganized kingdom had little foundation to stand on. They appointed a king who's heart was in for vengeance and not for the support of his people. Almost immediately the attitude of the people changed. Many were no longer satisfied with merely being free; they wanted their oppressors to pay. James was shocked and alarmed by their intentions. He had seen this once before, not long ago, and not so far away.... It was against his every reason that first brought him to their aid, and he could not stand for it. He was asked to march with them once again, and the pressure was too much to fight. He marched with them, but his heart was not in it, nor could he fight for them again. When they reached the hilltop overlooking the foreign city, they made their request: "Will you lead us?" He dared not give an answer. The hope and trust of so many rested upon his shoulders, but he could not do as they asked. They had broken his trust.

       His heart was heavy as lead as he looked over the men. None but the few men who came with him at the first showed any sympathy in their eyes. They knew how he felt, but the rest could not for reason of their hatred. "How could they ask me to do this?" he thought. "After all the blood and sweat that has been lost for them to be free, yet now they want to be the conquerors of another?" He could not understand it. The silence had reigned now for a minute, and the faces of some showed concern. He knew how he would answer them, and it hurt that he had to say it. The last five months of tears and bloodshed would be in vain. In a voice strong with authority, he declared, "If you insist on this course of hatred and blood, you will forfiet my hand and my support, and I will leave you this very day." Surprise; shock; disbelief; utter silence. Even the wind seemed to have stopped.